Film take-up mechanism



June' 18, 1935. B. BURNS y -FILM TAKE-UP MECHANISM med April 25, 1951 3Shevets-Sheet l R r fC M M m 1|- e NW! [away d 3 Sheets-Shes?l 2 June18, 1935. s. BURNS FILI TAKE-UP mscHNIsM Filed April 25, 1931 June 18,1935. B BURNS 2,005,254

l y FILM TAKE-UP MECHANISM Filed April 25, 19:51 s sheets-snaai s@atented June 18, 1935Y mesne assignments, to Hughes Industries Co.,Ltd., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Dela- Ware Application April25, 1931, Serial No. 532,806

9 Claims.

My invention relates to a nlm take-up mechanism for taking film from afilml handling or lm Atreating device, such as a film developing ma.-chine, film coloring machine, etc.

My present invention is of particular utility with continuous lmdeveloping machines and at present finds its principal utility inconjunction with the film developing device disclosed in my U. S.application Ser. No. 532,805, filed April 25, 1931. This type of filmdeveloping device employs no sprockets within the device itself formoving the strips of iilm through the various stages of the treatmentand is so constructed that a relatively small tenson or pull exerted onthe end of the film will produce movement of the nlm through thedeveloping device.

It is an object of my invention to provide a film take-up mechanismhaving a pulling or motivating means which will produce a constantmovement of the film but is yieldable in its characteristics so as to beincapable of exerting on the lm a tension in excess of a predeterminedmaximum, this predetermined maximum being well below the breaking pointof -the film so that in the use of the device there is no'danger ofbreakage of the film by the pulling means should the film be caught atany point preceding the pulling means.

.It is an object of the invention to provide a device of simple andnovel construction whereby a plurality of pulling means maybe mounted ina minimum of space, and it is a feature of the construction 'that thepulling means are selectively operable and releasable, making itpossible to discontinue thepulling of any film strip which may havebecome caught or which may have parted in the preceding film handlingmechanism, without interrupting the movement of the remaining filmstrips.

Space.

A further object of the invention is to provide av take-up mechanismhaving yieldably driven receiving means for receiving the film strips,such receiving means including removable lm spools so supported foroperation that they may be readily interchanged and are at all timespositively yet yieldably' motivated.

A further object of theinvention is to provide a film receiving meansemploying a lm spool, a'constantly rotating member, and a driving (c1.zii- 2.3)

member frictionally driven by said rotating member, 'there being meansfor holding the driving member in driving engagement with the filmspool.

A further object of the invention is to provide 5 in this film receivingmeans a rotating member having a grooved ring frictionally mountedthere-- on, such grooved ring being adapted to engage the periphery ofthe iilm spool in such a manner as to be relatively geared thereto.slippage, due 10 to difference in the speed of rotation of the filmspool and the'rotating member, occurs between the rotating member andthe grooved ring whichl is frictionally mounted thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide 15 in this filmreceiving device a rotating member in the form of a shaft, a .pluralityof grooved driving members frictionally mounted in spaced relationshipalong the shaft, and means for supporting a plurality of film spools insuch posi- 20 tions that the peripheries of the film spbol flanges willbe held in pressural engagement with the grooves of the respectivedriving members.

- These film spool supporting arms are so placed that they may beindividually swung outwardly into the openl space adjacent the filmtake-up mechanism,` thereby making it possible to readily exchange lmspools, and further making it pos- 40 sible to assemble a plurality offilm spools in side by side relationship in a very small space.

, Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made evidentthroughout the following part of the specification. 40

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. l is a front elevation showing the rightward end of a lm take-upmechanism embodying my invention. 0

Fig. 2 is a right end elevation corresponding to Fig. 1. r

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary'section on a plane represented by theline 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. A4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional 55 view on a planerepresented by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, this view showing the completeassembly of a single film pulling means.

Fig. 5 is'a cross-section on a plane represented by the line 5-5 of Fig.4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on a plane by the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. '1 is a cross-sectional view drawn to reduced scale showing apreferred form of take-up mechanism which may be 'used where space issuicient to permit placing of film spools in horizontal positions.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, my invention em' ploys a rotating member'inthe form of a shaft |I which is supported in a horizontal position bybrackets such as indicated at I2, the brackets I2 being secured to ahorizontal structural member I3 by means such as screwsil4. 'A secondshaft represented or rotating part I5 is mounted in a horizontaladjacent the ange 34. The sprocket 55 may position below the shaft `I I.This rotating part I5 is journaled'in a bracket I6 which is mounted onthe face of a post I1. A vertical wall |8 supports an upper4 bearingplate I9 which carries an upperldrive shaft 2| having driving connectionwith the shaft through'a exible coupling 22. A bracket 23 mounted on theWall I8 supports a lower driving shaft 24 having driving engagement withthe v rotating part I5 through a exible coupling 25. Sprockets 26 and 21are' mounted on the upper and lower drive shafts 2| and 24, and a chain28 is carried over these sprockets sov that when the driving shaft 24 isrotated by powerl applied to the extending end 38 thereof, the upperdrive shaft 2| and the rotating member IIQwill be driv-n in timedrelationship to the rotating part I5. On the rotating member or shaft IIa plurality of film pulling or motivating means 3| and 32 are mounted,the details of these motivating means being clearly disclosed in Fig. 4,in which I show the motivating means 32 which :Ts a counterpart of themotivating means 3|.

Mounted on the shaft I I, as shown in Fig. 4, is a sleeve'33 which hasa'radial flange 34.and a cylindrical wall 35 at the periphery of thisflange 34. This sleeve 33 is not keyed to the shaft but is yieldablydriven by the frictional engagement of the outer face of the flange 34with a friction plate 36 carried on a collar 40 which is fixed totheshaft |I by means 0f a set screw 4| or analogous means. The rightwarddiametrally reduced end 43 of the sleeve 33 carries a flange or washer44 against which a compression spring 45 bears. Means for placing adesired compression in the spring 45 is formed by a collar 46 which isfixed to the shaft II by means of a set screw 41, a sleeve 48 which isaxially movable on the shaft I| but is prevented from rotation relativeto the shaft I I and the collar 46 by a pin 5U which extends from therightward portion of the sleeve 48 into an opening 5I in the collar 46,and an adjustment nut 52 threaded on the sleeve 48 in a position toengage the lip 53 surrounding a counterbore 54 in the leftward end ofthe collar 46. By rotating the nut 52 relative to the sleeve 48, thesleeve 48 maybe caused to move axially so as to vary the axial dimensionof the space between the ring or washer 44 and the sleeve 48, therebyaccomplishing a variation in the com` pression of the spring 45. l

The collar 48 is substantially the same size and construction as thecollar 46 and has' a longitudinal opening 5|' therein and also an openrecess 54'. This similarity of the collars 4|) and 46 is vestablished sothat the collar 40 can be used in the same manner as the collar 46 toreceive the thrust from an adjustment nut 52 of an adjacent sprocketassembly, thus making it possible to mount the sprockets close togetheron the shaft I I.

By suitably varying the compression of the spring, the pressure withwhich the flange 34 of the sleeve 33 engages the friction plate 36 maybe adjusted to provide a desired frictional driving engagement betweenthe collar 4wand the sleeve 33. Surrounding the rightward end of thesleeve 33 is a cylindrical film sprocket 55 consisting of a cylindricalbody 56 having toothed rings 51 secured on the ends thereof by means ofrings 58 and 59, which rings 58 and 59 are held in place by spinning orflanging outwardly the cylindrical lips 6| at the ends of the body 56.Secured within the body 56 is a cylindrical bearing member 62 which isretained between the washer 44 and a shoulder 64 existingat therightward end of the rotate on the sleeve 33 but has practically noaxial movement. On the leftward portion 65 of the sleeve 33 is a clutchmember 66 including an inner cylindrical wall 61 having slidingengagement on the enlarged portion 65, a radial wall 68, and an outercylindrical wall 10 which nts over the cylindrical wall 35 of the sleeve33. 'Ihe cylindrical wall 18 has a shallow groove 1| cut in the outerface thereof so that the clutch member may be manually engaged so as tobe moved between operative and inoperative positions. As shown in Figs.4 and 6, a groove 12 is cut in the inner face of the wall 10, and inthis groove is set a circular spring 13 having inwardly bent portions 14adapted to engage shallow grooves 15 and 16 in the outer face of thewall 35. When the clutch member 66 is in retracted or inoperativeposition, as shown in Fig. 4, the portions 14 of the spring 13 engagethe groove 15 and thus yieldably hold the clutch member 66 in suchretracted position. The clutch member is caused to rotate with thesleeve A33 by a pin 11 which extends from the radial Wall 34 of thesleeve 33 and projects through an opening 18 in the radial wall 68 ofthe clutch member 66. A projection in the form of a short pin extendsfrom the wall 68 of the clutch member 66 in a position to engage any oneof a plurality of holes 8| formed in the ring 58 of the pulling sprocket55, the outer ends of the openings 8| being beveled, as shown in Fig. 4,so as to permit facile engagement of the pin 80 with a hole 8|.

When it is desired to drive the sprocket 55, the clutch member 66 ismoved rightwardly, causing the resilient engaging portions 14 of thespring 13 to move from engagement with the groove 15 and into engagementwith the groove 16. During this movement of the clutch member 66, thepin 80 engages a hole 8 I, thus establishing a driving engagementbetween the yieldably and frictionally driven sleeve and the sprocket55. 'Ihe bracket I2 supports a journal 82 which receives the body 46,the result being that the body 46 then serves as a bearing for the shaftII.

As shown in Fig. 2, films 83 are led over rollers such as indicated at84 and pass vertically upwardly into "engagement with the pullingsprockets 3| and 32. These films are then carried over the top of thepulling sprockets and downwardly, as indicated at 85, to film spools 86forming part ofthe lm receiving means. As shown in Figs. l" and 3, thesefilm spools 86 each include a hub 81 and a radial flange 88. A hole isbored to t a stub shaft 89 which extends from'a lever arm 8|, the lowerend 92 of which Cir is pivoted on a horizontal shaft 93 extendingbetween the brackets I6. On the upper ends of the lever arm 9| a handle94 is formed to provide means whereby the lever arm may be readily swungfrom the upright position indicated at' to each lever member 9| in suchposition that' the weight member will tend to rotate the lever arm 9| inclockwise direction when the lever arm 9| is moved into uprightposition, and

will tend to rotate the lever arm 9| in anticlockwise direction when thelever arm'9l is swung into lowered positiom as indicated at 96. Eachweight member |0| is provided with a plugclosed opening |02 throughwhich means, such as shot, for varying the weight of the weight member0| may be passed.

On the rotating part or shaft |5 are a plurality of drive members |05which yieldably rotate the film spools 86. T hese drive members |05 eachconsist of a ring having "a V-shaped groove |06 therein, as shown inFig. 3, of such size that a good driving engagement with the periphery|01 of a film spool ange 88 will be accomplished. The ring |05 isturnably mounted on a collar |08 which is fixed to the shaft I5 byuse ofa setl screw |09. The ring 05 is held against axial movement between apermanent flange on the collar |08 and a removable flange 2 which issecured to the collar |08 `by screws H3. The inner cylindrical face ||4of the ring |05 frictionally engages the outer cylindrical face ||5 ofthe collar |08 so that when a film spool 85 is in engagement with thegroove |06, and, due to the rotative force exerted by the weight member|0| on the lever 95, forces the ring |05 in the direction indicated byan arrow IIB, the frictional engagement of the faces ||4 and ||5 willtransmit a frictional driving force'- from the collar |08 to the ring|05, which driving force will in turn be transmitted to the periphery ofthe film spool B5.

The speed of rotation of controlled by the speed of movement of the film83 and the diameter of the body |20 of film wound on the hub 87 of thefilm spool 85. The sprockets 26 and 21 are so proportioned that thedriving means or ring |05 will rotate the film spool y85 at a speedsufficient to wind' the lfilm 83 directly onto the hub 87 as fast as thelm is fed to the hub 81 by the associated sprocket 3| or 32. lAs thediameter of the body |20 of film increases, the speed of rotation of thespool 85 will decrease and slippage will occur between the faces and ||5of the members |05v and |08. The periphery |01 of the flange 88 is`frictionally engaged by the sloping walls of the |25, permitting it tobe removed from the stubl shaft 89 and replaced by an empty film spoolthe nim spool ss 'is on which the end of aconsecutive film strip beingfed forwardly over a pulling sprocket 55 may be threaded and the filmspool then moved into engagement with a driving means |05 by swingingthe lever 9| into upright position. The operative position lof the lever9| is substantially vertical so that the weight of the film spool andthe varying amount of film wound thereon does not infiuence the pressurewith which the film spool is held in engagement with its driving means|05. The pressure of the film spool 85 against the walls of the groove|05 of the driving means |05, and likewise the frictional engagement ofthe faces and 5, are determined by the magnitude of the weight |0l.

In the present use of my device, the springs 45 of the pulling means 3|and 32 are adjusted to create a film pulling force of two to tlireepounds or abouttwice the force necessary to pull the film through thedeveloping and drying machine. This maximum pull which the pulling meansis capable of exerting is less than one-fourth the strength of motionpicture film; therefore, the possibility of rupturing the film bytension is practically avoided. The tension exerted by the driving means|05 is relatively small, as the weights |0| are established at amagnitude to produce a driving friction between the surfaces I4 and ||5but little greater than the driving effect necessary to produce rotationof the spool 85 on the stub shaft 89.'

As shown in Figs. 1 and v4, a horizontal shelf |26 is extended across infront of the sprockets' 55, and on this shelf` |28 counting devices |27are mounted in such position that the lever arms |28 of the countingdevices will. rest in the paths of projections, such as indicated at|30, carried on the sprockets 5i.

In Fig. 7, I show a lever 9 mounted on a shaft 93' and'rotated inclockwise direction by a counterweight |0| so as to lift a film spool 85into ance the counterweight |0| and thus decrease the pressure of thefilmspool against the driving member |05', thereby reducing the frictionwith which the film spool 85 is driven and avoiding the making of cinchmarks on the inner portion of the wound film due to its being wound tootight upon the spool'85.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in simple andpractical form, it

is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representativeof other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be used insubstantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the sameresults; therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not tobe limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded thefull scope of the following claims.

I claim as my invention: A

1. Take-up mechanism Aof the character described, including: a shaft; abody fixed to said shaft; a sleeve rotatably mounted on said shaftadjacent said body; spring means surrounding said shaft for frictionallyengaging said sleeve with said body fixed to said shaft; a film engagingmember rotatably mounted on said sleeve; land a clutch member axiallyslidable on said sleeve for drivably connecting said sleeve and saidfllm engaging member.

2. Take-upmechanism of the character described, including: a shaft; asleeve rotatably mounted on said shaft, said sleeve having a radial wallat the primary end thereof; a frictional driving member secured to saidshaft adjacentaid radial wall; a springv for applying force against thesecondary end of said sleeve; a body on saidshaft adjacent said sleeve;an axially movable member between said body and said spring; a nutthread-'- ed on the exterior of said axially movable member and engagingsaid body so as to move said axially movable member relative to saidspring; a" film engaging member rotatable on the secondary end of saidsleeve; and a clutch member axially slidable on the primary end of saidsleeve, said clutch member being adapted for engagement with said filmengaging means whereby to drive said film engaging means from saidsleeve.

3. Take-up mechanism of the character described including: a shaft; asleeve rotatably mounted on said shaft; a frictional driving mem- 'bersecured to said shaft adjacent the primary end of said sleeve; a body onsaid shaft adjacent the secondary end of said sleeve; a springsurrounding said shaft and bearing on said bodyand on the secondary endof said sleeve to force the primary end of said sleeve to engage saidfrictional driving member; a film engaging member rotatable on saidsleeve; and a clutch member adapted to engage said film engaging memberwith said sleeve.

4. A take-up mechanism of the character described including: a shaft; asleeve/rotatably mounted on said shaft, said sleeve having a radial wallat the primary end thereof; a frictional driving member secured to saidshaft adjacent said radial wall; a body secured to said shaft adjacentthe secondary end of said sleeve; a helicalspring mounted on said shaftbetween said sleeve and said body adjacent the secondary end thereof;means for causing said spring to bear against said sleeve to cause it toengage said frictional driving member, a film engagingA said sleeve andsaid body adjacent the secondary end of said sleeve; and a nutsurrounding said shaft and threaded into said body adapted to vary thecompression in said spring; a film engaging member rotatable on saidsleeve; and clutch means adapted to engage said sleeve with said lmengaging member.

6. Take-up mechanism of the character described including: a shaft; asleeve rotatably mounted on said shaft; a frictional driving membersecured to said shaft adjacent the primary end of said sleeve; a body onsaid shaft adjacent the secondary end of said sleeve a springsurrounding said shaft and bearing on said body and on the secondary endof said sleeve to force the primary end of said sleeve to engage saidfrictional driving member; and a film engaging member on said sleeve;and a clutch adapted to engage said sleeve with said film engagingmember.

7. A take-up mechanism of the character described including: a shaft; asleeve rotatably mou-nted on said shaft, said sleeve having a radialwall at the primary end thereof; a frictional driving member securedtosaid shaft adjacent said' radial wall; a body secured to said shaftadjacent the secondary end of said sleeve; a helical spring mounted onsaid shaft between said sleeve and said body adjacent the secondary endthereof; means for causing said spring to bear against said sleeve tocause it to engage said frictional driving member; and a lm engagingmember fixed on said sleeve.

8. Take-up mechanism of the character described including: a shaft; asleeve rotatably mounted on said shaft; a frictional driving membersecured to said shaft adjacent the primary end of said sleeve; a body onsaid shaft adjacent the secondary end of said sleeve; spring meansadapted to force the primary end of said sleeve into frictionalengagement with said driving member; a lm engaging member rotatable onsaid sleeve; and. a clutch member adapted to engage said sleeve withsaid lm engaging member.

9. Take-up mechanism of the 'character described including: a shaft; arotatable member mounted on said shaft a frictional driving membersecured to said shaft adjacent said rotatable mener; spring means forcausing engagement between said rotatable member and said frictionaldriving member; a lm engaging member rotatable on said rotatable member;and clutch means adapted to engage said film engaging member with saidsleeve. BRUCE BURNS.

